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Daniel Barchi has taken the reins as chief information officer at NewYork-Presbyterian, where he will oversee a new telehealth program set to launch this year as well as the development and implementation of technology across the health system.

Carestream says Vue Motion platform also addresses Stages 2 and 3 meaningful use because it gives patients an easy way to see their images.

Stillwater Medical Center found a way to streamline computerized provider order entry -- and it improved the experience for physicians and patients alike.

Leadership has never been more important in healthcare. To successfully navigate the challenges facing organizations, leaders must stay informed on the latest developments. And they also need to set policies that position their teams for longterm success.

Participants in the influential group of health IT socializers share their best advice and insights about harnessing the power of social networks.

High-functioning IT systems are crucial to converting a physician practice to a patient-centered medical home model, but only a third of practices examined in a new RAND Corporation study were able manage continuous investments in the necessary technology infrastructure.

The American Medical Association has invested $15 million to become founding partner of Health2047, a high-tech incubator that will explore innovative solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the nation's 1.1 million physicians and their patients.

To make it easier for people to gain access to their personal health information, the U.S. Department Health and Human Services had posted some clarifications about individuals' right under HIPAA privacy rules. “Unfortunately, based on recent studies and our own enforcement experience, far too often individuals face obstacles to accessing their health information, even from entities required to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule,” Jocelyn Samuels, HHS director of the Office for Civil Rights wrote. “This must change.”  HHS explained that the “Privacy Rule requires HIPAA covered entities (health plans and most health care providers) to provide individuals, upon request, with access to the protected health information about them in one or more ‘designated record sets’ maintained by or for the covered entity,” HHS said. ”This includes the right to inspect or obtain a copy, or both, of the PHI, as well as to direct the covered entity to transmit a copy to a designated person or entity of the individual’s choice.”  [Also: HHS to change HIPAA rule on gun background checks] What’s more, that right exists for as long as the provider or a business associate maintains the PHI and regardless if they do so on paper or via electronic health records. HHS defines a ‘designated record set as medical and billing records as well as enrollment, payment or claims information as well as other data “used to make decisions about any individuals,” the agency said. “The term ‘record’ means any item, collection or grouping of information that includes PHI and is maintained, collected, used or disseminated by or for a covered entity,” HHS said. The evolution in healthcare toward rapid, secure exchange of Electronic Health Records data along with targeted treatments via the precision medicine model of patient-engaged research has made it more important for individuals to quickly access to their health information. However, this process has been slow developing, Samuels said. To that end, HHS published a fact sheet and the first in a series of Frequently Asked Questions to clarify. The initial FAQ addresses the scope of information covered by HIPAA’s access right, the limited exceptions to this right, the form and format in which information is provided, the requirement to provide access to individuals in a timely manner, and the intersection of HIPAA’s right of access with the requirements for patient access under the HITECH Act’s Electronic Health Record Incentive Program. [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] Samuels said HHS will develop additional guidance and other tools to help individuals understand and exercise their right to access their health information. Other consumer access tools are being developed by the Office for Civil Rights, working with the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Samuels added. Twitter: @HealthITNews

Partners HealthCare announced on Monday that it has contracted with QPID Health, whose analytics tools will be integrated with Partners’ Epic-based eCare EHR and other legacy systems to help clinicians make more informed care decisions. Over the next two years, QPID will be rolled out across all 10 Partners' hospitals and associated physician organizations. "Partners HealthCare has made a significant investment in our Epic electronic health record," Jim Noga, CIO, Partners HealthCare System, said in a statement. "QPID's software will be fully integrated with Partners eCare and help ensure that we optimize our investment." [See also: 5 benefits of natural language understanding for healthcare.] QPID Health's “clinical reasoning” tools use natural language processing and machine learning to turn data from EHRs into actionable information, helping to streamline quality reporting, clinical registry submissions and utilization management, according to the company. Massachusetts General Hospital, a Partners co-founder, began using QPID software about 10 years ago. The positive return on investment, reduction of unnecessary cancellations, patient safety increases and CMS bonuses and penalty avoidances drove Partners' decision to integrate all systems with QPID, officials said. "Effectively using patient data for quality reporting and optimal patient outcomes is increasingly important as we move towards value-based care," said Timothy Ferris, MD, vice president of population health at Partners said in a statement. [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] QPID "will help to ensure appropriate use of high-cost, high-volume surgical procedures," he added. "This agreement will help provide our physicians with the specific patient information that they need to attest to use of evidence-based guidelines. Not only is this the right thing to do for patients, it also reduces costs where we share risk with government and commercial payers," Ferris said. Twitter: @JessiefDavis

When Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, California launched an initiative to boost its Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores, the team combined leadership engagement, a comprehensive and ongoing staff education plan, and deployed new bedside technology.